The BIB Awards

Dateline: 04/17/97

Welcome to the Best in Biology (BIB) Awards. I'm your host, Dr. Bio Ology. Tonight, we are giving out several prestigious awards to scientists who have made significant contributions to the field of biology. And the first award goes to...

Blood Bank Award

Our first award goes to Austrian pathologist Karl Landsteiner for his discovery of ABO blood groups. This discovery made it possible for safe blood transfusions.

Dart Throwing Award

The next award goes to Robert Koch, a German physician who was the first to hit the bulls-eye linking specific diseases to specific bacteria. He was also the first to identify the bacteria that cause tuberculosis and anthrax.

Flyswatter Award

This award goes to Thomas Hunt Morgan for his work with Drosophila (fruit flies). He was the first to discover that genes are located on chromosomes.

Jumping Gene Award

Barbara McClintock is our winner for her discovery of the ability of genes to relocate within a chromosome. She made this discovery of the so called "jumping gene" while working with maize corn.

Heredity Link Award

Oswald Avery gets this award for being the first to show that genetic information is transferred by DNA. Until then, most scientists believed that proteins, rather than DNA, were responsible.

Micro Detective Award

Anton van Leeuwenhoek wins this award for his discovery of blood cells, sperm cells, and bacteria in pond water. He made these discoveries using powerful magnifying glasses.

Milk Man Award

This award goes to none other than Louis Pasteur for developing the pasteurization process (using heat to destroy germs). When you're enjoying your next glass of milk, you can give a silent thanks to Dr. Pasteur. He is also known as the founder of microbiology. He developed the "germ theory" (idea that diseases are caused by germs).

Pea Pod Award

Gregor Mendel captures this award for his work with peas. He was the first to discover that genes are passed from parents to offspring. For those of you who don't know, genes determine certain characteristics you have, such as your fathers' nose or your mothers' eyes.

Red Alert Award

This award goes to Peter C. Doherty and Rolf M. Zinkernagel for their discovery of how the immune system recognizes virus-infected cells.

Twisted Ladder Award

The winners of this award are James Watson and Francis Crick for their important work in discovering the double helical structure of DNA. The structure resembles a twisted rope ladder.

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